Card-game apparatus.



B. A. STALEY.

CARD GAME APPARATUS. APPLICATION mum JUNE 25, 190B.

Patented July 6, 1909.

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BURTON A. STALEY, OF PLAINVIEW, NEBRASKA.

CARD-GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 25, 1908.

Patented July 6, 1909.

Serial No. 440,210.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known. that I, BURTON A. STALEY, citizen of the United States, residing at Plainview, in the county of Pierce and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Card-Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to amusement devices and relates particularly to a card game apparatus.

The chief objects of the improvements which form the subject matter of this application are to provide a novel, instructive and amusing game possessing special featurcs of interest.

The game is played by means of a pack of cards of convenient size, the cards in each pack being divided into two main divisions or series, and each series is again subdivided into minor divisions, termed suits or groups; each suit in one series which may be termed the commodity series is given a distinctive name and a value, and each card in a suit bears the name of the suit and also its value, all the cards in a suit being exactly alike. The individual cards in the other or money series, which contains a less number of cards than the commodity series, each have a value designated thereon, a certain number of cards being exactly alike, and thus forming groups, similar to the suits of the first or commodity series but containing a different number of cards. The values of the cards in both series are multiples of the card of lowest value in the money series and some of the cards in both series may have the same value, in. each case expressed in curreiiicy.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this application, I have shown a pack of cards in plan view laid with their faces uppermost, to disclose the indicating names and values impressed thereon. The cards inthe larger series are given the names of commodities and I prefer to employ for this purpose the names of grains; the name of a grain and its value is given to four cards which thus constitute a suit. The smaller division I have designated the money series, divided into two minor groups containing each five cards, all the cards in each group having the same value.

In the illustratlon I have shown a pack containing twenty 81X cards, but 1t Wlll be understood that the number of cards may be varied without departmg from the spirit and scope of the invention; and this variation may include changes in the number of suits or sub-groups, or in the number of individual cards constituting such suits. 'lihus there may be one hundred cards, the grain series including sixty-four cards arranged in eight suits of eight cards each, the money series having thirty-six cards, arranged in four groups, each containing nine similar cards.

Having thus described the novel apparatus employed in my game, I will now set forth in detail the method of using the devices in playing the game, which is designed to practically illustrate financial or business transactions, taking the form of buying and selling grain, the object of the game being the formation of corners in the commodity dealt in, upon the one hand, and the attempt, upon the other, to break the corners, or prevent their formation.

The game may be played upon an ordinary table or any suitable plane surface which will be hereinafter termed the board Two or more persons may join in a game, and a large number may be accommodated. by using more than one pack of cards, and it is immaterial whether the game is played singly or with partners. That player wins who is the first to tally a certain number of points or dollars; ten dollars being a desirable number for game. The cards are thoroughly shuffled and. then dealt one at a time until each player holds eight cards. The cards'remaining are then sorted, placing the grain in separate piles, and the money all in one pile. The money which each player holds is for the transaction of business which consists in the purchase of grain from the board. to form corners. The grain held by any player may be used as money and is worth its face value for that purpose. The dealer keeps a tally of all transactions which do not appear upon the cards themselves. T he one at the left of the dealer begins the game by purchasing a card to correspond with one or more in his hand and if he does not have money enough in his hand to buy the card desired he can borrow from the board, but he must do this before he picks up the card he wants, otherwise he must wait for his next turn be fore he can borrow, and he will have to purchase whatever he has money in hand to pay for, or lose that turn. No more than one dollar can be borrowed by a player at each turn, and in every case where money is borrowed, half the amount of such loan is deducted from the players tally. The player should select a card of the commodity series corre spending with one held by him, and for this he pays half its face value. For instance if he selects wheat, which is valued at 40 cents, he will pay for that card only 20 cents. In case the player should wish to purchase a commodity which is of less value than the money card he holds, he may demand and receive the difference, getting this change from the money upon the board. Vt hen a card is procured by purchase it is laid on the table in front of the player face down. The playing is continued in this manner until some one gets four cards of one suit, which constitutes a corner. The player who has made a corner turns the four cards, face up, in one pile on the board in front of him, and is then given credit on his tally for five times the face value of that suit for instance, if the corner is in wheat, which has a face value of 40 cents, he will get credit for five times that amount, or two dollars. Before he plays the next player gives the holder of the corner 10 cents (or cents if there are cards of that denomination) to discard one card from his corner back to the board. He repeats this at each play until the entire corner has been thus returned to the board If a player has two corners, the left hand player gives him 20 cents, and he must discard two cards which he may take from either corner, or one card from each corner as he chooses. The holder of the corner is not obliged to discard unless reminded to do so. A player is entitled to one play for each corner he may hold; thus he may have two, three or more plays at each turn, provided he has a corresponding number of corners. Vfhen a player has discarded all of a corner, he Will again have but one play for each turn,

until he has succeeded-in running another corner. Two or more cards may be purchased at each play but only one card of the same suit.

When playing partners the method of play is correspondingly modified as follows each one can use his partners money when needed, and can call for any card or cards he may think his partner may hold, which may be needed to add to his corner. lt henever a player calls for a card from his partner which he fails to have, the player must pay a fine of ten cents to his opponent. ihe partners each have as many plays as they both have corners.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new is A game apparatus comprising a pack of cards arranged in two series, one series bearing designations of commodities, the cards of both series having numerals impressed thereon to indicate various money-values, the values applied to the cards of the commodity series and the cards of the higher denominations of the currency series being multiples of the value of the cards of the lowest suit of the currency series, each series being subdivided into suits having an equal number of cards, the cards of each suit of each series having a different value from the cards in each of the other suits of the respective series, the number of cards in the suits of one series varying from the number in the suits of the other series.

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

BURTON A. TALEY.

Witnesses M. SoRnNsoN, P. A. W oonwon'rn. 

